Godard from MDG

[Alan Howe]

How about Godard's two Piano Trios, announced for release by MDG...?

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Benjamin-Godard-Klaviertrios-Nr-1-2/hnum/2458648

[Gareth Vaughan]

Delicious!

[Alan Howe]

Quite, Gareth. Some very appetising excerpts from No.1 - presumably from an old LP - are available here...

http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/godard-piano-trio-1-op32.htm

[wunderkind]

Those two lovely trios have existed for some time on CD - on the old Koch Schwann label. And Godard's beautiful Cello Sonata accompanies an even more exquisite one by Leon Boëllmann on a Hyperion disc.  Nice stuff, indeed.

[Alan Howe]

The Koch Schwann CD is, of course, long gone - unless anyone wishes to pay the earth for used copies at Amazon. The MDG CD fills the gap nicely.

[wunderkind]

For sure - it's good to have the gaps filled.

I'd also recommend Godard's Etudes for piano which have been recorded on Marco Polo.

[Mark Thomas]

Godard's is great for anyone with a sweet tooth. The two Violin Concertos may not be great music, but they're a lovely listen. The Piano Trios are already on order....

[Marcus]

I hope the Piano Concerto by Godard makes the catalogue sometime soon, also the five Symphonies he wrote between 1880-86.
Marcus.

[Mark Thomas]

I have recordings of radio broadcasts of Godard's piano concertos (there are two, Marcus) and of his Symphonie Orientale. The concertos are pretty much what you'd expect: very tuneful, piquantly orchestrated and nicely judged not to outstay their welcome although, interestingly, both have four movements. Not deep of course, but very diverting. I'm afraid that the Symphonie Orientale is not really a symphony at all but a highly coloured suite. You have only to see the titles of the five movements: Les Éléphants, Chinoiserie, Sara la Baigneuse, Le rêve de la Nikia & Marche Turque. It's like listening to a meringue.

[Alan Howe]

The 'Symphony' that Mark mentions is one piece of unsung music that should remain unsung - and preferably unheard.

[Steve B]

As I have said before on this site, the Marco polo disc of Godard's Etudes, to which Wunderkind refers, is uncharacteristic of the more overtly popularly atractive other music; they prefigure Faure, almost impressionist in style(at times). I think we should be careful of making sweeping generalisations  about the WHOLE of one composer's output: Moszkowski being the other obvious case in point(in reference to a similar subtlety and carefully nuanced pre-Faurean style in his late piano solo pieces, as recorded by Collins Classics/Hyperion re-issue).Steve

[Alan Howe]

No sweeping judgment from me on Godard. I love the VCs and am greatly looking forward to the Piano Trios. But we have to be discerning too...